Setting The Stage for NyamJam
Chris Blackwell and Chef Mario Batali hosted an intimate group of media and friends to toast the launch of the NyamJam Festival at Spotify’s headquarters in Manhattan on Monday evening. The group socialised over rum punch cocktails by Bacardi, Red Stripe beer and a selection of nyams by Mary Giuliani Catering like ginger tamarind chicken rice and pea cakes, ackee and salt fish on roasted breadfruit, and, white chocolate and Marley coffee mousse tart with coffee-coated almonds. Spotify playlists from Blackwell, Batali and participating local and international talent set the mood.
The NyamJam Festival takes place at Goldeneye on November 13 and 14.
Tickets are available at www.nyamjamfestival.com/tickets
Mario Batali’s Sweet Potatoes in Cartoccio
The brown sugar and butter are here, but slicing sweet potatoes and cooking them in cartoccio with onions and olive oil give them a whole new lease on life.
Ingredients:
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Serves 6
Method:
Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Cut six 14-by-12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil and lay them out on a work surface, with a short end toward you. Layer one-sixth of the potato slices and onion rings on the bottom half of each sheet of foil, leaving an inch or so of space all around. Brush the tops and sides of the vegetables with olive oil, using 1 tablespoon for each packet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dot the top of each pile of potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar. Fold about 1/4 inch of the sides and bottoms of the foil to seal the edges, then fold over again to make a tight seal.
Place the packets on the hottest part of the grill and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer to a large platter or baking sheet and let stand for 10 minutes.
Serve in the foil, warning your guests about the hot, fragrant steam that will escape when they cut into the packets. Be sure to spoon some of the syrupy juices over the sweet potatoes.
